Belgium, September 2, 1916.

My dear Mabel:–

Not having yet joined my battalion I am still without mail, so don’t know how you are all getting along.

We are now in an entrenching camp not far from the line and I understand that my battalion is stationed for the present not far away. We look forward to joining them any day now. When we left the camp near Havre we thought it was to join them. It was an interesting but comfortable journey, lasting two days. Sleeping ten in a carriage is the very devil. I was astonished to find ourselves passing through Calais the second morning. We thought perhaps the war was over and that we were going back to England. We had a rough time with the weather when we first arrived having to stand in a fearful thunderstorm on the parade ground till we were soaked. The second afternoon some military genius conceived the brilliant idea of taking us for a route march in the pouring rain, so we were once more wet to the skin. Afterwards I went out in my overcoat and got that soaked through. We do not have any blankets here but lie on the bare boards and we do not carry a change of underwear so we spent the night shivering in our draughty hut. Oh, it was a beastly night with everything sopping. We were glad to get sunshine next day.

Each evening we go up to the back of the line to work at the trenches till about one. The march up is interesting but that five miles back again is rather trying. By the time we started back we are utterly tired with digging and going across country in single file in the pitch dark dodging the enormous shell holes full of water and tripping over wires is too hazardous for an enjoyable walk. I shall have to

BC Archives, MS-1901 Box 1 File 19 / RUSSELL, Alma M., 1873 - 1964. Victoria; librarian. / Letters from Cecil Harrow Unwin, 1916 - 1917.